I think food can definitly cause the itching. Some dogs are allergic to chicken. When we bought our bulldog home she was on IAMs and had "hotspots" which she would itch and try to bite. we changed her over to Orijen and the problem disappeared. Orijen is fish based which could help with the skin and coat. If you change him over to a fish based food it may help alot. we have noticed a change in Tootsie. You're already using oatmeal shampoo which is good for dogs coat so I would def try changing the food. remember though that treats should be checked for chicken as well.

What did the vet say?

This sounds like flea allergies. Try Frontline.

Elly, I didn't ask our vet, because when we took him in for a complete physical, it was right after we'd adopted him and I assumed this wasn't a problem. He doesn't have fleas or ticks and has not had any in the almost 3 months we've had him. I've held off using a flea collar or Frontline because (1) it was Winter and we weren't able to get him out around other animals and (2) I wanted to hold off using them long enough to rule out an allergy to any them, which I've now been able to do. I do plan on starting him on the Frontline next week, though.

Trinigemini: thanks for your input. It's good to hear sound advice from someone who's been through something similar. I hadn't considered a food allergy to chicken, but that does sound like a wise next thing to rule out. Your idea about going with a fish based food sounds good. Hmmm, since we're already feeding our Tibbie the Eagle Pack's Holistic Duck & Oatmeal, I may try Ronin on their Anchovy, Sardine & Salmon Meal formula. My Tibbie is such a finicky eater, and we went through several different brands before trying the EP. Chloe loves this one . . . thank goodness!
Lynn

If some dander is showing up it could be dry skin, a bath every 2 weeks is a lot even with the best shampoo and conditioner. I think the most natural thing I would start with is a teas of olive oil added to his meal. After that I would try bathing less. Next I would try a food change. If none of these helped I would do allergy testing.

These things are some of the hardest to control. It may be genetic or environmental, If genetic, it will be harder to control. First let me say great job, pat yourselves on the back - keep up the good work.
I would first suggest not bathing him so much, once a month would probably be better - noatural oils dont have time to get up and do their work in 2 week intervals. I also suggest you use more conditioner, let it stay on your dog longer, let it work in - your dog will love the massage while in the bath. I use BUDDY WASH AND BUDDY RINSE, the dogs like it, they have beautiful coats and I condition them faithfully - once a motnh is the MOST I wash the dogs, they often go for 2 or 3 months at a time without a bath. Unless they get really gross or start getting smelly, they dont need a bath.
You might want to try using a fabric softener in the wash for the dogs bedding. ALSO make certain that you dont let the dogs near the carpet or the floor after you have applied cleaner for at least 24 hours or more, so much of what we use to clean our homes with is very toxic, especially to dogs whose faces are closer to the ground. Same thing with the yard and lawn. Dont let your dog out after applying insecticides, pesticides or herbicides. Just to be on the safe side. Adding oil to your dogs food is a great idea. Also you might be aware that stressors like moving into a new area and having a new home CAN be an underlying problem, tho the dog might look like it is doing well, skin problems can crop up as a result of stress. Lots of walkies, stimulation and playtime can help. Sounds like you are doing all you can, time may be a healing thing but genetics might play a part here. Years ago a friend adopted a terrier and it had lifelong issues with dry skin. Good luck

I've had several Dobie mixes, and then learned -- well, I learned with the first one -- that Dobies often have allergies, especially the reds and "silvers" (blues).

So, you might ask your vet to evaluate for allergies. Without specifics, you can end up throwing money at it for a long time with little or no favorable results.

Frankly, knowing for certain what's the problem is worth much more than guessing at the problem.

Now that I have my 3rd allergic dog -- my daughter-in-law says "I think they see you coming" -- I know that the first visit to a veterinary allergist includes skin scrapings to rule out a number of common causes for scratching.

Also, likely to have a blood test for thyroid function.

Then possibly skin testing to determine sensitivity to molds, pollens & the like.

When it comes to foods, it's usually a food trial. For that, you have to limit to only one food and that for a number of weeks, 6 to 9.

Further, the several allergy specialists my dogs have seen -- we were in CA, but now are in OR -- also recommended weekly baths to remove allergens from the dogs' fur.

Before I went to the vet specialist, I had all sorts of advice from folks about using lamb diets, grains, vegetarian pet foods, also special this or that.

After testing, my first allergic dog was determined to be sensitive to oatmeal & "all" meats, including lamb

My current allergic dog -- as I said, my 3rd -- can tolerate only Purina Hypo-Allergenic diet, a hydrolyzed soy food. (sigh) But he's now healthy, and he's stopped chewing & scratching.

Oh yes, I also give him once a week "allergy" shots to build his tolerance to the allergens.

Maybe the below link will help.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Doberman with flakey skin

Thanks so much for all this great information! I had no idea that allergies were so prevalent in dogs, especially food allergies. I've read everything.

Todancewithwolves: I've read, copied and then bookmarked all of that wonderful info. Many thanks!

I've talked with my DH and, as per your wise recommendations, we're cutting back on Ronin's bathing and just this morning have started switching him over to Eagle Pack's Duck & Oatmeal. We'll give him 6 weeks on this. If he doesn't show a significant improvement, we'll make an appointment for him at our vet's and look into allergy tests for him. I'd say we'll be cutting out all of his snacks, too, but he really doesn't get any "dog snacks". We give him one scrambled egg every Saturday or Sunday morning and I do give him a small piece of cheese once or twice a week. He does occasionally get a big, fresh beef bone from the butcher, but that's it. Boring food life, IMHO, but we're going with our vet's recommendations. Actually, he thinks a very good quality dry dog food alone is the best way to go. It's me that doesn't.

In the mean time, once Ronin's totally switched over to the Duck & Oatmeal, I'll run the remainder of his Chicken Soup food over to our local non-kill pet shelter. They can always use decent dog and cat food donations.

Again, many thanks for taking the time to give us this advice and info. It's much appreciated.
Lynn

. . . thanks for telling me about your own problems with dobie allergies. It has really opened my eyes to what kind of problems these great dogs can have. I had no idea! Your stories have convinced my DH that Ronin indeed seems to have some kind of food allergy. Many thanks for taking the time.
Lynn

HI Lynn, this is Svava from Ice. My3 year old Shihtzu has allergies. We have him on Royal Canin allergie food. We have taken a way from him everything else. and the only treat he gets is somethinge I buy at the Vets. We had him tested and he has allergies for many things .Johnson Grass, Fescue,Sorghum Grass, Cocks foot, Mugwort.Pigweed,Nettle, Willow,Sycamore,Birch Hazelnut,Aspergillus,Alternaria,Cladosporium, Beef,white potatos,yeast,peas,houseflye and last but not least sigarette smoke. Would not matter if my mother was not a heavy chane smoker. I keep him away from her
when she is at my home. This was established with a blood test . He is bathed
once a week with oatmeal shampoo and some cond. that is recommended by the Vet. He is ok mostly but get attacks every now and then.
I know what triggerd his allegies it was us building the new house and him beging there with us all the time in all the dust ,we were halfway thrue building when he started to get the attacks .he sometimes licks his paws when he is itching ,my Vet told me to put some wather in the sink and a small amount of shampoo and let him stand in it for a wile. That seems to work. I hope you will get some results for you pup. give him a hug from us in Iceland

p.s. I am looking into having him put on some allergie shots ,to try to kill the allergies. My Vets is checking that out for me.

Svava

Thank you to the previous poster for mentioning Royal Canin.

That line of foods may be your best bet if you're intending to do food trials before looking further into potential problems.

It's a food the allergy vet specialists -- at least those I've been to -- suggest because it uses potato rather than any grains, then adds an uncommon meat. Thus, the animals are less likely to have been sensitized to either ingredient.

My 3 allergic dogs have all done well with the potato & venison. I never tried other combos than that simply because once you have success with an allergic animal, you have success!

Further, owners of allergic animals must become avid label readers.

I recall that, years ago, my 1st allergic Dobie mix was doing well with a popular brand, but then he suddenly started scratching, chewing, and showing welts. So, even though nothing had changed for him, I made a bee-line to the food's label.

Yep. There it was, plain as day. The formula now included chicken.

But no mention was made anywhere about "new formula," "improved," or change of packaging, including color.

Hi Svava, it's good to see you over here on Garden Web! Look for me on the Decorating Forum, too. I can imagine how badly your poor little dog must have felt during the time it took to build your new home. Poor thing! I'll keep that Royal Canin food in mind, if mine doesn't work out. Your allergy tests showed many allergies with your little dog. If Ronin's problem doesn't clear up, I think I'd like to have him tested, too. Thanks for that info! Hope your mother is enjoying life back in Iceland after living in Florida all those years.

Speaking of dog foods, my neighbor called this morning to ask about my new dobie. She has two rescue dobies herself, a Blue and a Fawn. She told me that both have very bad food allergies and she suggested that, instead of putting Ronin on Eagle Pack's Duck & Oatmeal, I should try her dog's food, Taste of the Wild in the salmon variety, which her online dobie group highly recommended. Apparently, many dobies are allergic to grains and/or chicken (who would have thought?!?). This food has no chicken and no grains in it and is recommended for dogs with allergies and skin problems. She gave me several sample packs and I'm going to start easing him into it this evening. Both her dogs had severe skin issues with lesions and itching when she got them (I had no idea!) and now, after switching them to the Taste of the Wild/Salmon . . . and going off all grains and chicken, they have no skin issues at all anymore. Of course, she now reads labels like a hawk to keep them that way!

Jean, my neighbor told me that there's a great Doberman forum over on Yahoo, although it's mainly for owners of Blues and Fawns, as they have the most allergy/skin problems, she says. Ronin is our third dobie and is a Black. The other two were Reds. The first, Mikaela, had no problems, except toward the end with her heart. Our second, Turk, had nightmarish eating problems, but more with eating EVERYTHING he could force down his throat, which caused over thirty partial and full intestinal obstructions and resulted in two major surgeries and many hospitalizations. He died from #37 (I believe) just before Thanksgiving at age four. If I didn't love dobies so much, I'd have given up on the breed after all I went through with Turk . . . and missed out on our sweet boy, Ronin. I do love Dobies!

Again, thank you all for the information and experiences. I'm so glad I found this forum!
Lynn